In the summer, Hmongtown Marketplace, which debuted in 2004, holds a large outdoor farmers market where patrons can purchase everything from live plants to live chickens. In June, it hosts a festival packed with live entertainment. Hmong Village, which opened in 2010, is usually abuzz with activity, as well.

Aaron Lavinsky, Star Tribune

The scene at Hmong Village.

For the Hmong community in Minnesota — some 80,000 strong — the markets act as gathering places.

“For Hmong people, there’s no country to go back to,” said Toua Xiong, the owner and founder of Hmongtown Marketplace. “So it isn’t just a place to shop and do business. It’s a place to hang out with friends and socialize.”

But there is plenty for native Minnesotans to love, as well. The vibrant collections of pho and curry shops, meat barbecues, bakeries and other food stalls mimic the street markets that form a huge part of Southeast Asian culture, and give hungry diners a wealth of options to choose from — much of which they won’t find elsewhere in the state.

“I tell people you don’t have to buy a ticket to Asia,” Xiong said. “You can just come here and feel like you’re there. The food here is so authentic — it’s not like the typical restaurants, which have become so Americanized.”

AARON LAVINSKY

Pang Vang fed a meatball from her pho to her 3-year-old son Jysin at Hmong Village.

Hmong food combines the cuisines of Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and China because the people migrated throughout Asia after they were forced to leave ancient China. Eating your way through all the offerings at the markets is a worthy pursuit.

Big slabs of pork belly, foot-long sausages and slow-cooked beef roasts that practically melt in your mouth make for a meat lover’s paradise. Those with a seafood penchant need not look past the whole fried tilapia or the steamed catfish (called mok pa), tucked into a banana leaf along with herbs and spices. There are also soups, stews and noodle dishes, such as pho and khao poon — a bowl of roasted pork, cabbage, noodles and banana blossoms, swathed in a vibrant curry sauce.

“I call it Hmong spaghetti,” Xiong said with a laugh.

Here, even vegetables find ways to be exciting. Papaya salads vary dramatically at many stalls, with various vegetables, spices and seafood used. Most vendors, making the salads fresh to order, will allow patrons to taste a bit of the finished product before serving it, similar to restaurants allowing a customer to sample the wine before agreeing to the bottle.

If you’re really looking to try something unique, consider the chicken feet or the pork intestines, both staples of Hmong cuisine. For something exceptional that is also a little familiar, try the stuffed chicken wings, which are sort of like egg rolls but with the chicken’s natural meat and skin instead acting as the crispy wrapper.

“They’re so good,” Xiong said. “But they take a long time to make. They have to take one of the bones out [of the wing] and then stuff it with the noodles and the salad.”

You can find many similar dishes throughout the markets, but each chef has his or her own take using different seasonings and techniques.

And if you’re a spice-phobe, don’t worry. Although many items arrive with a small cup of red chili sauce on the side — and this packs a punch — most dishes won’t blow eaters away with heat on their own.

“Traditionally, Hmong food is very spicy because it originates from Thailand and Laos,” Xiong said. “But when we came to Minnesota, that all kind of went away. Now, it’s not that spicy.”

Don’t forget to save room for dessert. Both markets have bakeries overflowing with sweet pastries, pillowy doughnuts and flavored rice. But your best option might be one of the dessert drinks filled with coconut milk, fruits and colorful tapioca pearls.

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